Quran and Appropriate Medication

Q: I believe that the Qur’an is most powerful and that it cures every kind of illness. I do not know, however, the Surahs, which should be used for curing illness. I wish to depend only on the Qur’an for the rest of my life. Could you please explain which Surahs one should read in cases of illness?

A: Allah certainly describes the Qur’an as a cure and mercy to mankind. In another verse, the Qur’an is described as a cure for what lies in the hearts of people. The Prophet (Pbuh) also speaks of “The two cures: Honey and the Qur’an.” Hence, it is perfectly correct to say that the Qur’an helps overcome illness and get rid of its effect. There is no particular Surah, which is required to be read to cure any particular illness. However, the Prophet says that Surah 36, entitled Ya’seen, helps achieve the purpose for which it is read.
Having said that, I wish to emphasize that we must not view the Qur’an as a substitute for medical treatment. The Prophet instructs us: “Seek medical treatment, for Allah has not created an illness without creating a cure for it.” This Hadith should be taken as an encouragement to try to discover a cure for any illness, which remains without a cure. Moreover, when the Prophet was ill, he sought medical treatment. It is needless to say that the Prophet knew the Qur’an by heart and he recited it all the time. Yet, he wished to show us that trying to overcome an illness by a powerful medicine or herb is necessary to help the human body against the attack of germs and viruses. An illness may weaken the body considerably and the defense mechanism of the body may be in certain cases in bad need of external help in the shape of drugs and medicines. It is not acceptable, from the Islamic point of view to deny the body that, saying, that the Qur’an is a better substitute. The Prophet often emphasized that the rules of nature which Allah has set in operation work in the same way for and against the believers and non-believers.
Moreover, the Qur’an does not have the same effect on illness as the appropriate medication. What it does is to reassure a believer and strengthen his faith. That is very helpful in curing any psy­chological disorder. On the other hand, the sense of relaxation derived from reading the Qur’an helps the body in its fight against the attacking germs. If this method is urged on by the use of appropriate medication, recovery can be achieved in a short pe­riod of time.